Superior lubricating composition



Patented Dec. 3, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OF F ICE l 2,223,473

suranron LUBRICATING COMPOSITION Peter J. wiezevich, Staten Island, N. Y., now by judicial ohangeof name to Peter J. Gaylor, as-

' signor tov Standard Oil Development Company, a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application October, 1931, Serial No. 169,459

3 Claims. (Cl. 252-32) tains about 60% of the oil which is chemically.

different fromany natural fatty oil so far dis- 10 covered. This oil contains about 78% of a glyceride of a keto unsaturated acid known as licanic acid and believed to have the formula:

CH3(CH2) aCHICHCHtCFLCH:

CH(CH3) 4CO(CH2) aCOOH itself has only limited uses in the petroleum field. In small amounts, say '0.1 to 5%. it serves as a,

powerful oiliness agent and sludge solvent for 25 petroleum lubricants, especially when inhibited against oxidation. It is also useful as a modifying agent in greases and textile lubricants in proportions up to about 5-10%.

This oil is preferably modified in order to widen the scope of its uses. For instance, it may be hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated. A very satisfactory product is Obtained when the oil is hydrogenated to a point when only about one double bond per molecule remains. Such a prodnot, as well as the completely hydrogenated material, are highly useful as addition agents in lubricants and fuels in concentrations of 0. 1 to or even up to 50% or more. In fact, lubri cants can be prepared from the hydrogenated 0 (or partially hydrogenated) oil alone, although it has been found that a cheaper product can be prepared containing about 5-25% mineral oil. Esters of 'mono or dihydric alcohols such as methyl, ethyl, the butyl and. amyl esters and 5 glycols may be used in place of the glyceride which occurs in nature.

When added to petroleum lubricating oils (as in motor or turbine lubricants), this hydrooiticica oil (which term will be employed to des- 3 lgnate the partially or completely hydrogenated product) possesses the unusual power to dissolve' sludge and to prevent or retard the settling thereof. It also possesses exceptional oiliness and other desirable properties. making it highly suitable as an ingredient in aviation oils, greases,

industrial lubricants, textile oils, as an addition agent to waxes and fuels, etc.

.Oitic'ica or hydro-oiticica oil may be treated V with sulfur, sulfur chlorides, sulfurdioxide, or

fluorsulfonic acid to produce sulfurized products 5 having exceptional extreme pressure (E. P.) lubricating action, suitable for hypold gear lubrication in conjunction with mineral oils or soaps, such as lead or other soaps, etc.

A highly satisfactory agent for improving aviation oils may also be prepared by voltolization ofoitlclca or hydro-oiticica oil alone or with mineral lubricating oils and/or other fatty oils such as rapeseed, menhaden, etc. voltolization is generally accomplished by subjecting the material to the action of a silent electric discharge at room or elevated temperature in a vacuum of about 0.5 atmosphere, using 5000-l5,000 volts and 60-1200 cycles. About 530% of the voltolized product may be added to the usual mineral oil aviation motor oils, although the voltollzed product itself is highly satisfactory for purposes wherein a viscous oil is required.

I Thickening of oiticica oil or the partially hydrogenated oil may also be accomplished by heat, .25

aloneor in presence of sulfur, air, or catalysts such as BFa. In the latter case, heating may be dispensed with and even cooling may be resorted to, due to'the violence of the reaction. When heating is employed as the thickening means, it is desirable to carry this treatment out in presence of a vacuum. These products, although not as suitable as the voltolized materials, are satisfactory blending agents for lubrieating compositions. Chlorination of the oil or hydro-oil (with or without materials such as $0 gives a viscous product which may be condensed with aromatic compounds, sodium polysuliide, and similar materialsto produce pour inhibiting and plastic com-' 40 pounds.

By reacting licanic compounds with hypochlorous acid, chlorhydrins may be produced, from which glycols may be prepared by hydrolysis. Hydroxy licanic acid may be heated to give lactones and lactides. By reaction with malelc anhydride, a condensation product may be prepared suitable for the preparation of resins, etc. Addi-.

tion of HCl to licanic compounds yields chloro compounds which have especially valuable extreme pressure properties. i 1

When oiticica or hydro-oiticica oil is hydrolyzed to the licanic' acid, glycerol, and other cornpounds, it is possible to extract the licanic acid (or its salts) by selective solvents such as high metal soaps, e. g. those of sodium, calcium, aluminum, lead, other heavy metals, and the like, to

give products having high solubility in oils and therefore, suitable as addition agents to greases, extreme pressure lubricants, as pigments in paints, in motor oils, insulating oils, textile oils, waxes, rubber and rubber-like products, gasoline, Diesel fuel, etc. These soaps may be used generally in 0.1-5% concentration, although amounts of 10% or more can be employed in special cases where .viscous products are required. v

The licanic or hydro-licanic acid can also be esterifled with a monohydroxy or poiyhydroxy alcohol to give esters suitable as addition agents, to lubricants and fuels. The acid can also be converted to a nitrile or sulfocyanide and employed as an oiliness agent or insecticide in oil solution.

Oiticica or liydro-oiticica esters or soaps may be hydrogenated strongly to give hydroxy acids, keto alcohols, or glycols. The hydroxy acid may be converted to soap or polymerized to the polyester and added to lubricants, while the keto alcohol or glycol may be employed as solvents or plasticizers or as sludge-solvent agents in lubricants and fuels.

The term licanic compoun is employed sesame herein to designate iicanic acid, hydro-licsnic acid, or compounds or derivatives thereof.

The materials and compositions disclosed herein may be employed in coniunction yvith other blending agents such as pour inhibitors, polymer thickeners. antioxidants, dyes, paraflln waxes, coating compositions, suspended materials such as graphite, zinc oxide, etc., soaps, extreme pressure agents, corrosion inhibitors, asphalts, resins,

rubbers, organo-metalliccompounds, fibrous materials, and the like.

This invention is not limited by any theory or specific illustration, but only by the toilowing claims in which it is intended to cover the invention as broadly as the prior art permits.

I claim:

1. A composition oi matter comprising a petroleum lubricating oil and 05-30% of a licanic metal soap soluble in said lubricating oil.

2. Acompcsition of matter according to claim 1 in which the metal soap is a soap of a metal 01' the class of sodium, calcium, aluminum and lead.

3. A composition of matter comprising a petroleum lubricating oil and 05-30% of a metal soap 0! hydrogenated licanic acid, said soap being soluble in said lubricating oil. 7

' ra'rsa J. WIEZEVICH. 

